Hitting, pitching and defense net CMU softball MAC Tournament title

@jimlahdeAs a coach you’re always looking for the right combination whether it’s one through nine in the order or in the field.

Such has been the case with the Mid-American Conference Tournament champion CMU softball team in 2013.

In the first 28 games of the season CMU head coach Margo Jonker ran 26 different lineups out there.

However over the final 23 games she found what she was looking for as she mixed and matched and penciled in five variations of one through nine that were very similar in structure.

In tweaking her lineup Jonker dropped senior Summer Knoop, who hit second or third for the majority of the season, and replaced her with junior Raechel Zahrn because of her speed and ability to put the ball in play.

Moreover she also shifted junior Brittney Horan and senior Brogan Darwin into the three and four slots respectively because both had caught fire late in the regular season.

These moves, while they might seem slight, pushed what had been the heart of CMU’s order - Cory DeLamielleure, CarolAnn Sexauer, Trista Cox and Katelyn Rentschler - down to the five through eight spots which might seem like a stretch considering all the aforementioned have the kind of power better-suited for the middle of the order.

But you know what, Jonker’s shuffling worked out to perfection in the final two weeks as it propelled the Chippewas to seven wins in their final eight games.

Additionally this one through nine went 4-0 in the MAC Tournament over the weekend and guided the Chippewas to their 10th MAC Tournament title and first since 2002.

“We kind of go with who is hot at the time and we move people around depending on that,” said Jonker. “We really don’t have a star on our team, we just have a lot of people who do the job and do it well. Because we have so much power opposing pitchers really can’t pitch around somebody to get to somebody else. It’s a good problem to have.”

Seven of CMU’s starters sport batting averages over .261 and five have belted four or more homers this year. Lead-off hitter supreme Macy Merchant, who is the best table setter since Becky Manson in the early 2000s, leads the way as she’s hitting .416 on the season with 39 runs scored and 22 stolen bases. In short there is no glaring holes in CMU’s lineup this season and it’s arguably one of the best in terms of depth in school history because it’s frontloaded with speed and backloaded with lots of power.

However the shuffling order is only part of the story in 2013 as CMU’s pitching and defense also shone well at Firestone Stadium in Akron over the weekend.

Senior pitcher Kara Dornbos, who as named Tournament MVP, went 3-0 in the tournament and didn’t allow a run in her first 22 innings of work. She allowed one run, a solo homer, on 13 hits while walking seven and striking out nine in 24 1/3 innings of work. One year ago Dornbos allowed two runs in 33 1/3 innings at the MAC Tournament in helping the Chippewas advance to the title game. Going into the tournament Dornbos was 12-11, yet she was nearly flawless in improving to 15-11.

“She really steps it up in the tournament and was excellent,” said Jonker of her staff ace. “She was on a mission and I think everybody’s focus was the same because we got to the championship game last year and didn’t win it. There was no celebration because we got there, we wanted to win it.”

In the late 1990s and early 2000s the Chippewas won MAC Tournament titles nearly every year, but back then it was a bit different. From the offensive perspective the Chippewas had some big boppers but it were limited in terms of depth. On average there were five or six legitimate threats at the plate with three or four hitters batting around the .200 mark. Not anymore.

In the circle the Chippewas also relied heavily on two of the best pitchers in program history in Tina Kinney and Amber Puchalski. Both of these right-handers just blew the opposition away with a myriad of hard stuff. Again that is not the case anymore because Dornbos isn’t that kind of pitcher, rather she relies on her defense to make the plays.

In the 2013 MAC Tournament CMU was nothing short of phenomenal in the field as it made three errors while turning four double plays.

“With Dornbos pitching we have to be solid defensively because the ball is put into play,” said Jonker. “Our defense was great when we needed it to be great.”

Next up for the Chippewas is the NCAA Regional round which was announced after press time on Sunday night.